Those who create and propagate technology have long offered a promise that technology could create a life of more ease and leisure. Early examples of this include the invention of the electric washing machine and dryer, calculators, dishwashers and computers.
In theory, each of these items were created to help humans work smarter, not harder. It’s an immensely attractive promise for anyone, and businesses and business owners have often led the charge to implement modern technologies to build a more productive and efficient workplace.
More Platforms to Use
Over the years, we’ve seen a progression of “helpful” introductions. Those with workplace tenure will likely remember Clippy, the animated paperclip that offered to “assist” users with their work. Clippy was phased out only to be replaced with numerous other workplace tools designed to help and streamline. During the pandemic, Teams, Slack and Zoom became prevalent as the world looked to replace in-person communication virtually overnight.
Today, Teams, Slack and Zoom are commonplace in many workplaces, all with the promise of streamlining workflow and communication. While on the surface this might be true, what isn’t considered is how these programs also silo information and create a general time suck for its users.
For example, back-to-back Teams or Zoom meetings sound efficient, but few consider the impact on the brain these programs can create. Use of these products causes the brain to fire in unusual ways, making it difficult to disconnect from the ideas discussed even when the meeting is over. The compounding effect of meetings stack one after another makes it even harder to complete daily tasks.
As a result, many workers are putting in time after work to catch up with the real work. A Wall Street Journal article written by Ray A. Smith in June reported more are working from home in the evening because of the increase in workload, email and meetings throughout the day. A study from Microsoft found a 16% increase in meetings logged after 8 p.m. during the year-to-year period that ended in February. Close to a third (33%) of these workers were still checking email at 10 p.m.
Information Overload
The Microsoft study also shared the average worker receives 117 emails and 153 chats each day. 30% also had meetings spanning a variety of time zones, further extending the workday. When there’s no off button to communication, it’s no wonder burnout continues to affect employees. Glassdoor found employee mentions of burnout in job reviews climbed 32% in the first quarter, compared with the same period in 2024 – a 10-year high.
With these statistics, it’s probably safe to assume that technology is not offering the promised leisure and workers are paying the price. As more companies implement AI, that price is likely to further accelerate.
